On our second day of the Greenbrier County log structure tour Karen handed over the wheel to Carolyn Rudley. Who could blame her? We were all still recovering from the busy day before. Fortunately, day 2 of the tour was a bit more relaxed. Our destination for the day was "Falling Springs Farm", high in the hills of northern Greenbrier County. Falling Springs Farm was a really unique place. Alan Rudley, the owner, spent many years collecting and restoring log structures from around the region. Many of them were moved to this property, which was convenient for us because we got to look at structures that came from all over Greenbrier and Pocahontas Counties without having to get back in the car!

Falling Springs Farm. Photo: K. de Graauw

Zigofuss House

The Zigofuss house was believed to be built around 1867 for a Union Officer of the Civil War. The two-story log structure was built entirely of white oak and features half-dovetail notching, typical of the 1800s. It was originally located in Western Greenbrier County near Sam Black Church off Otter Creek Rd, but was rescued and moved to Alan's property in 1977.

Zigofuss House. Photo: K. de Graauw

Hippie House

This cabin is known lovingly as the "Hippie House" because of the graffiti carved into the chinking. This cabin is the only log structure that was original to the property when Alan bought it. There is no known date for the cabin but oral history indicates that it has been standing since at least the 1920s. The cabin appears to have been built from American chestnut and it has a very unique notching style that is not commonly seen in Greenbrier County.

Hippie House. Photo: K. de Graauw

Chestnut Ridge Cabin

This high elevation shepherd's cabin, now functioning as a barn, was originally located on top of Chestnut Ridge in Greenbrier County. It was constructed of American chestnut and features half-dovetail notching. Architectural features indicate that it likely dates to the mid-to-late 1800s, and because it was built of American chestnut it is not likely younger than the 1920s.

Chestnut Ridge Cabin. Photo: K. de Graauw

Blacksmith Shop

The Blacksmith Shop, dating to approximately 1900 if not slightly earlier, was moved from Esty, WV. It appears to have been built entirely of tulip poplar. It features rounded logs on the sides and back with saddle notching and hewn logs in the front with what appear to be V notches on some that may have been modified. Based on these observations it is likely that the front logs of this structure were re-purposed and date to the late 1700s or early 1800s while the side and back logs date to 1900.

Blacksmith Shop. Photo: K. de Graauw

Pioneer Barn

The Pioneer Barn was moved from Cold Knob, the highest point in Greenbrier County. It was built entirely of American chestnut, with fully rounded logs and saddle notching. It likely dates to the 1900s based on the western inspired architectural style. It has a unique purlin roof framing system as well.

Pioneer Barn. Photo: K. de Graauw

Spring House

The Spring House, original to the property when the Rudleys moved there in the 70s, was once a lot taller. Over time, the bottom logs rotted away and now only 8 logs remain. They all appear to be American chestnut and are square notched. There is no known history or age for the Spring House.

Spring House. Photo: K. de Graauw

Little House on the Prairie

Little House on the Prairie was originally a house located on Friar Hole Rd in Greenbrier County. It collapsed in a snowstorm in the 1970s and was moved in 1985 to the Rudley property. It now functions as a barn. It appears to have been built of American chestnut and potentially dates to the late 1800s based on the half-dovetail notching and architectural style.

Little House on the Prairie. Photo: K. de Graauw

Falling Springs Farm truly is a unique place. The Rudleys have spent many years saving structures from imminent destruction and now have a wonderful collection of historical log buildings. Additionally, most of the structures are believed to be American chestnut, a species that was once prominent throughout eastern North America. American chestnut is now functionally extinct due to widespread chestnut blight in the early 1900s that killed off every mature chestnut tree. These structures hold valuable information about the ecology of American chestnut, which is something we are not often able to study without living trees present. We are hopeful to return to Falling Springs Farm and work with the Rudleys to date these wonderful structures!

See more photos from our visit to Falling Springs Farm below.

We owe a special thanks to the Rudleys for hosting us that day. It was a real pleasure walking around Falling Springs Farm and seeing all of these great structures! Thank you!

The Historic Timbers Project just (I mean just) submitted a proposal to date 12 more structures in Greenbrier and Pocahontas Counties! Keep your fingers crossed folks! This could be huge for the HTP and the historical societies. We should hear something by November. I'll keep you all posted!

While we were in Lewisburg in May to work on the Barracks, we also got to spend two days adventuring around Greenbrier County with the help of the wonderful folks at the Greenbrier Historical Society.

We always look forward to touring the county roads on our own but we never have an itinerary, usually just get lost, and/or look like creepers parked on the side of a road snapping photos of someone's barn, house, etc. For day one of this trip we had Karen Fankhauser, of the Greenbrier Historical Society, at the wheel (for much longer than I think she ever anticipated) and we had a schedule to follow! Talk about organized.

Stop 1: Keeney Cabin

Well, we got a little lost trying to find this place. But, in our defense, the road sign was missing! We eventually arrived and the tour party was waiting patiently at the cabin.

We met the owners, Dan and Diana, their son Nathaniel, and their dog, Woodrow aka "Woody". I could probably dedicate an entire post to Woody and his adventures. An idea for a rainy day perhaps?

Anyway, after introductions, we were briefed on the history of Keeney Cabin. I mean Lewis Cabin. Or is it Keeney Cabin? As it turns out, no one knows which person actually built the cabin. If only there was a way to find out....

Based on our inspection, Keeney Cabin is what we consider to be a good candidate for tree-ring dating. Bark? Yes! Sound logs? Yes! A need for dating? Yes!

A side note: It's structures like these that make us feel like what we do matters. They make us happy. They make us feel validated about our educational choices.

Keeney Cabin, circa 1770s to 1780s. Photo: K. de Graauw

There was a cool "old" lock on the door. I have no idea how old it really is. But it looks old! Photo: K. de Graauw

Check out some more photos from our visit to Keeney Cabin below.

Stop 2: James Jarrett House

The second stop on our whirlwind tour of Greenbrier County was the James Jarrett House, owned by the GHS president, Margaret Hambrick, and her husband David. We arrived at a beautiful stone house, and silently thought "Oh no. This isn't going to be good". But we were excited to see that there were indeed logs in the James Jarrett House!

The James Jarrett House was believed to be built sometime between 1815 and 1820. The good news for us is that all of the logs are in the kitchen, which is in the lower portion of the house; meaning the logs had to be put in in the beginning stages of construction and were not likely an addition.

Although the logs didn't have bark (aside from a few small spots), there are clear indicators of bark all over the logs. See the dark spots? That is remnant inner bark. Even though there's no outer bark present, this place is still a good candidate for tree-ring dating. We hope to be back in the near future!

The James Jarrett House, as seen from the back. Photo: K. de Graauw

Rounded log supports in the kitchen of the James Jarrett House. Photo: K. de Graauw

Check out some more photos from our visit to the James Jarrett House below.

Stop 3: William Jarrett House

Next, we visited the William Jarrett House, owned by Margaret's sister Martha. This place was unique! It was likely built in the 1860s if not earlier.

Well, anytime there's a chance something could be much older than it appears, we get excited. It even has the V or steeple notching, which usually indicates later 1700s construction.

Sadly though, the William Jarrett House was buttoned up tightly. The chinking covered every log entirely and there was no way we could collect samples. Just to rub it in, Martha showed us pictures from the 70's when it was rechinked. Guess what? Bark everywhere!!! Until Martha allows us to bust away the nice chinking (never!), this one will remain a mystery.

On a lighter note, Martha hosted a delicious lunch for everyone. Thanks Martha!

The William Jarrett House. Photo: K. de Graauw

No access to the logs through this. Bummer. Photo: K. de Graauw

Check out some more photos from our visit to the William Jarrett House below.

Stop 4: Hedrick House

The final stop on our tour that day was Hedrick House. Located high up on a hill and far removed from neighbors, this structure can only be accessed by RTVs. Or at least that's how we got there!

Hedrick House has no known date, but the half dovetail notching suggests that it is newer than the 1700s. The logs appear to be American chestnut, which is really cool! This also means it is older than the early 1900s. American chestnut, once prominent in eastern North America, is now functionally extinct due to widespread chestnut blight in the early 1900s.

The owner, Jeannie, isn't sure what to do with the structure and is hopeful that a known construction date will help her decide the fate of Hedrick House.

We are definitely interested in this place. American chestnut? Yes, please! No known date? How intriguing!

Hedrick House. Photo: K. de Graauw

Half dovetail notching. Photo: K. de Graauw

To see more photos from our visit to Hedrick House, check below!

That concludes our first tour of Greenbrier County log structures. We saw some cool places and met some great people. Thanks to everyone who was there for getting us out and back, talking with us, feeding us, letting us be nosy in your houses and structures, and especially for taking interest in our work!

Hi folks! It's been a while since we last posted something. We have a good excuse though! It has been a busy summer for the Historic Timbers Project. We went on three field trips around Greenbrier and Pendleton Counties. During these trips we collected cores from a few structures and visited a number of other potential candidates for tree-ring dating. And along the way we met a lot of enthusiastic people who share our passion for historic log structures. Over the next several posts we'd like to share with you our adventures, field work, and some of the fine West Virginia folks we've met this summer.

Because we kicked off our summer in Lewisburg, WV, we'll start there....

Just as a reminder to our readers, the Greenbrier Historical Society (GHS), have been curious to find out how old the Barracks truly is. Based on historical documentation, they've determined it was likely built some time between 1787 and 1807.

Look at that beautiful wood! Log end view from outside of the Barracks. Photo: K. de Graauw

This is where we come in. Tree-ring dating, if done correctly and on an appropriate structure, can determine the year, AND SEASON, in which logs were cut for construction. Pretty nifty, right?

How do we do it, you ask? Step one. Field work. We start by mapping out the structure, labeling all logs, and finding the best places to sample. We look for logs with bark or a rounded outer edge. In the case below, we had plenty of bark. We tack labels to the locations we want to sample, snap a few pictures for reference, and get ready to core.

A nice round log with bark intact, labeled and ready for coring. Photo: K. de Graauw

Shawn coring a support beam in the Barracks. Photo: K. de Graauw

Core of wood from drilling. Photo: K. de Graauw

Ok, this is where we usually lose a few people. "Core?! You're going to poke holes in historic structures?!"

Yep. It'll be ok! Just watch.

We use drills (nothing fancy) and specialized hollow drill bits to collect cores from the logs. Shawn is demonstrating the coring process above. Safety glasses. Check! Mask. Check! Sawdust is a killer.

Because we're using hollow drill bits, a little core of wood is left inside of the log during drilling. We use a sharpie to color it black. This lets us know the outer edge of the wood is still intact (upper right). Once we've drilled halfway through the log we stop and retrieve the precious core. The very end of the core is still attached to the wood, so we use our handy cutting tool (lower left) to cut the fibers loose and extract the core (lower right).

Cutting the core loose. Photo: K. de Graauw

Pulling the core out of the log. Photo: K. de Graauw

Taadaa!

Shawn holding his beautiful core! Photo: K. de Graauw

Ok, for all of you who cringed when we said we were coring into the wood, this next part is for you. After we collect our cores we fill all of our holes with wood filler and/or corks. This keeps the bugs and the water out. The wood filler also helps to reinforce the cavity from coring. See, it's not so bad.

Core hole plugged with a cork. The numbers and letters are an alphanumeric code we use to identify samples back at the lab. Photo: K. de Graauw

So, there's our field work in a nutshell. Of course, there is a lot of other stuff going on too, but if you want the full experience, you'll have to come out and watch us work.

Cores from the Barracks. Photo: K. de Graauw

Oh, and in case you were wondering...No, we didn't make Shawn do everything at the Barracks. He just happened to be the most photogenic person in our group that day. Here are some other shots from our work at the Barracks.

Andrew coring in the attic. Photo: K. de Graauw

Kristen coring in the attic. Photo: K. de Graauw

Do you want to know how old the Barracks is? Keep following our work to find out!